What Happens Next
by 13BC
Summary: It took Sam getting injured for Andy to realize that she had not quite moved on. With his life in the balance and multiple players involved, how will she make the right decisions in the midst of a case that hits close to home for 15th devision?
1. Chapter 1

What Happens Next – Prologue

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><p>I don't own rookie blue<p>

I know you probably want me to finish my other stories first, but this just kept going through my mind and wouldn't go away until I put it down on paper. I do hope to have the next chapter of 'it is what it is' up in the next week or so. But for now, here's my take on _What Happens Next_ on rookie blue. This first chapter is a bit short, I know; it's an introduction to the story and what in my mind's crazy theories could happen next. Enjoy :)

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><p>-Two weeks later-<p>

'How is he doing today?' Frank Best asked the nurse at the station.

'Still the same, sir, no change since last week,' she replied.

'Is there anyone in there now?'

'Just her, sir, she hasn't left his side.'

'Right, thank you,' he said before turning around and making his way over to the room. He stood at the entrance for a moment, looking at the woman holding the hand of one of fifteens finest. It wasn't fair that this should happen to them, especially after what she'd just been through.

He coughed, in an attempt to make his presence known. The woman however did not turn around. He tried again, but still he received no response.

'Chloe?' This got her attention. She turned around and acknowledged him standing there. She then turned back to the man laying in the bed. His face was bruised so severely, Frank hardly recognized him. How had it even come to this? He took the few paces to stand by his goddaughter's side and placed his hand on her shoulder.

'Chloe, there is nothing we can do for him now. You should get back to bed.'

'No, I have to stay here. This is all my fault.'

'Chloe, don't think that way, what Wes did…'

'But it is all my fault…' She started crying. It took a while, but finally he managed to get her back to her room a few doors down. It was madness; she shouldn't be up like that, not after having suffered an injury like that only two weeks ago. According to the doctors it was unheard of that she was conscious so shortly after sustaining such a severe injury. Frank sighed and made his way over to the next floor. Unbelievable. Four of his officers in the hospital, six if you counted the 24/7 visitors. He reached the waiting room on the next floor. Nick sat in the chair he'd been sitting in for the past two weeks. He'd go home every now and again, but whenever she was here, so was he, which was pretty much all the time.

'Collins,' he greeted him. He looked tired, there were deep circles underneath his eyes. Not nearly as bad as the ones he was about to see though.

He made his way over to Sam's room. As he expected Andy was sitting in the chair beside the hospital bed. She had been fidgeting ever since he'd gotten out of surgery, tidying the already impeccable room. He'd stepped by every day, checking up on his people and, more importantly, his friends. The only time he'd seen her sit still during the past week was when she had fallen asleep, her head on his leg, holding his hand in a dead grip. He'd tried to get her back to work, but he knew that it wouldn't work, she'd be too distracted. With help of Nick he'd been able to get her to go home to sleep every night, have a shower and a change of clothes.

The room had always felt anxious, anxious but hopeful. Not today. Today, all he felt radiating from the room was fear. A fear for the worst, a fear that came with a lack of hope.

'Andy?' he said softly as not to scare her.

'He's not going to wake up, is he?' her voice was thick and emotionless. As he walked further into the room he could see she had been crying.

'We don't know that,' he said. 'He could wake up at any moment.'

'But he wont,' Andy said as another tear rolled down her cheek. 'If he was going to wake up, why hasn't he done so yet?' Her tears were flowing freely now.

'I don't know,' Frank said.

'It's not fair,' Andy cried. 'It's just not fair.'

Frank slowly walked out of the room. He could only hope that this would end well, or it might very well break Andy. He looked back into the waiting room. Nick had gotten up to get a coffee. He didn't envy him the bad stuff they had here, but going down to the cafeteria and risking something happened that required him to be right here was probably too much of a risk and he wasn't willing to take it.

Frank went down the corridor, going to visit his final officer. Oliver was the only one who was making enough progress to be allowed to leave the hospital the next day. He'd been back to his old chatty self mostly, but it would be a while before he would be able to get back to work.

'How are you doing?' Frank asked as he sat down. Celery had elegantly left the room to give them some time to catch up.

'Doing ok, doing ok,' Oliver muttered. He was quiet for a moment. 'How are the others?' he asked carefully.

'Sam and Dov are still the same. Chloe got up today, sat at Dov's side for hours. She's back in her room now, though, asleep.'

'Horrible what happened there. Have you got anything out of him yet?' Oliver asked.

'Nope, he still won't say a word. Good thing so many of our own were here and witnessed it. He will get what is coming for him, don't worry, my friend.'

They talked about the day to day at fifteenth for a while, wishing not to thing about those of their own who's lives were still hanging on a thread.

There was some commotion on the hallway. Vague screams could be heard. Being police officers at heart, Oliver and Frank were out of the room in an instance and followed the noise. To both their shock they soon realised that all of the commotion seemed to come from a room they knew all too well.

'No! I have to get in! Let me go, I need to see him,' a voice they knew screamed as they got closer. Throwing a quick look at each other they drew nearer. Rounding the corner they feared for the worst as they saw the sight in front of them.

A seemingly hysterical Andy was being held back by a worried Nick. Nurses were rushing in and out of the hospital room. They froze as the fear for their friends life crept up on them.

'Collins, what happened?' Frank asked as they reached them.

'I don't know,' he said. 'They told me to get her out and keep her away while they're working, they wont tell me what happened.'

'Andy.' Oliver turned to her. 'Andy, I need you to tell me what happened.'

'He… Sam… He…,' Andy tried, but she couldn't make anymore words come out. She collapsed at that moment and fell to her knees, crying. Nick knelt down with her. They all stood there huddled together not knowing quite what to do. What could they do?

After what seemed like hours, but couldn't be more than a couple of minutes, a woman in scrubs that looked vaguely familiar came out at that moment and went straight to Andy, kneeling down in front of her.

'Andy,' she said with a calming voice. 'You should come inside.'

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><p>That was it for now. I hope you enjoyed it and I would truly appreciate it if you left a review to let me know your thoughts.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2 - Goodbye?

First off, thank you for the alerts, favourites, and pm! It was a little overwhelming and very much appreciated!

Wow, so... Let's just say this took me a lot longer than I had anticipated, for which I apologize. Believe me when I say I wanted to get this out much sooner than this. But anyway, it is here now.

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><p>-Goodbye?-<p>

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><p>Frank had left the room again, as he had done nearly every night since she'd been here, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Not two hours ago Sarah had done the same, going back to Sam's place where she had been staying for the past two weeks. Andy herself had hardly left the room, spending most nights in the wooden chair she was sitting on right now, only leaving to get a shower and a change of clothes.<p>

It was hard, so hard to sit here right by his side and not being able to do anything. They had taken him into surgery right after she had been allowed to see him the night it had happened. The doctor that had come to update them throughout the night as he was in surgery had sounded more and more hopeful that Sam would have a quick recovery, seeing as how smoothly the surgery went. He'd gotten out of surgery when it was nearly morning and they told her that he would wake up soon. She was still waiting. And now she was starting to fear that she would be waiting forever.

With her thumb she stroke Sam's hand. This could not be the end. She did not want to believe it, yet she saw no other outcome.

'I love you, Sam,' she whispered, not for the first time in these past two weeks. She thought she'd never say it again, she'd moved on, she was happy with Nick now, yet somehow, ever since their conversation in the locker room she had been feeling the hope she had let go months ago. Seeing Sam get shot was an image that could not be erased from her mind, no matter how much she tried. This was the end, she could feel it. She had been feeling it all day, it was time to say goodbye.

She got up and brushed his hair from his head. Hesitating for a split second she leaned in and placed a kiss on his forehead. She blinked her eyes shut as another tear made its way over her cheek and fell on Sam's.

'I love you,' she said again, before placing a final kiss on his lips. She looked at him for a second before turning around and making her way out of the room.

In all the time she had been in this room there had always been a constant beeping sound. It had become a background hum to her. Multiple nurses had come in to ask her if she wanted the sound to be shut off, but she had always declined. In a way it was comforting, having that confirmation of his heart beat there, knowing he was still alive, even if he wasn't in a state to talk to her, or give her any other sign that showed he was still with her on this planet. There was a change in the rhythm now, ever so slightly, but it was most certainly there. She stopped at the door and stood there simply listening for a moment. And as she stood there listening, the change seemed to become more apparent. It was time, there was no other explanation. How often did people wake up from these type of things? There was a chance of about one in a million. She wasn't that lucky, her story wouldn't continue. Once she had wondered if it was faith. Some kind of sick faith that had taken Sam away from her on that stupid undercover case. Faith that had allowed them to meet at the Alpine Inn and have the most magical night. It was also faith that had decided that it was enough, that they had had their chance and they had blown it. It was clear that their story was over now.

She should walk away now, this was not something she was going to want to witness, she was sure of that.

'Goodbye, Sam,' she said. She took a deep breath and was about to walk away when suddenly she heard a stirring behind her. And then, ever so softly she heard.

'Andy?'

It was crocked, a broken voice, but a voice none the less. She felt something course through her that she hadn't felt in a very long time, though it had probably not been more than a few hours. However, when hope had been lost it always felt stronger and more powerful when it returned.

She spun around faster than she ever had.

'Sam?' she asked, rushing to his side in a second flat. His eyes were still closed, but his breathing had changed. He opened his mouth, trying to speak again, but before he had a chance the room was flooded with doctors and nursing personnel. There was suddenly a buzz in the room that hadn't been there in a long time and before Andy knew it she was husked out of the room. She tried to make her way back in to the room, but she was being held back by someone who had suddenly appeared behind her.

'Get her out of here and make sure she stays out for now,' the nurse said.

'What happened?' Nick asked from behind her. It was undoubtedly him who was holding her back. He got no reply.

'No! I have to get in! Let me go, I need to see him,' she screamed. She hardly felt the tears falling from her eyes. Could it be? Could it really be one in a million? She fought as best as she could against the arms holding her back, but it was to no avail.

'Collins, what happened?' Frank asked. Andy hardly registered it as she tried her best to look around the group of people that were gathered inside the room.

'I don't know,' she heard Nick say in the background. 'They told me to get her out and keep her away while they're working, they won't tell me what happened.'

'Andy.' Oliver suddenly appeared right in front of her face, making sure she was focussing on him and him alone. 'Andy, I need you to tell me what happened.'

'He… Sam… He…,' she tried, but it was all too much. They had been in there for too long. The hope she had had for the briefest of seconds had all been in vain. She let herself fall down to the floor, no longer bothering to try and fight the tears. She felt as Nick sank down to the floor with her, stroking the hair from her face.

There was a buzz of people around her, but she didn't register anyone, not until another face appeared in front of her. She vaguely recognized Monica, smiling softly.

'Andy,' she said with a calming voice. 'You should come inside.'

It took a few seconds for her to realise what Monica had just said. It took a few more seconds to realise that she didn't seem upset in the least, that there was even a small smile present on her face.

'Sam?' she asked with a weak voice.

'He's been asking for you.'

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><p>As in a dream she got out of Nick's now loosened dead grip and got up of the floor<p>

She re-entered the room, not quite sure what she should expect. Monica had said he was asking for her, but she couldn't quite believe it. It seemed surreal. It had been two weeks. Two weeks of living between hope and fear, and here she was on the better side of it. She tried to hold it back, but she couldn't stop the tear from escaping her eye. It wasn't the first one that day and something told her it would not be the last one either.

Everything looked the same as it had a little while ago when she was forced out of the room, apart from the fact that there were more people in here now. A doctor or a nurse, she couldn't quite tell at this point, seemed to be checking up on some vitals, writing them down on Sam's chart. She wasn't quite sure what they were all doing. She didn't really care anyway. All she cared about in that instance was the man laying in the bed, white sheets all around him.

Even though he was still laying down, looking as pale as he had before, there was one major difference; his eyes were opened. From the moment she had walked in hers were drawn to his like a magnetic field she couldn't fight. She simply could not look away. And why would she want to? Mere moments ago she had feared she would never get to see them again.

'He's still very weak,' Monica said, but her voice seemed to come from another planet entirely. 'But your name was the first thing to come out of his mouth, the second he was able to open it.'

Andy didn't reply. As in a dream she walked over to the bed and took Sam's hand.

'Hey,' she uttered softly as she smiled at him, tears in her eyes.

'Hey,' he managed, but his voice sounded exhausted. Her eyes, however, remained glued to hers.

'I'm so glad you're awake,' Andy said. 'I mean, I thought you were...' she stopped herself. He didn't, she said to herself. He is still right here.

'I thought so too for a moment.' They were quiet for a moment, neither of them sure of what to say. Andy felt a little strange, lost. After the initial wave of relieve had washed over her one question arose in her mind. What now? It couldn't be as easy as them just dropping everything and starting back up where they had left of, could it? That hardly seemed right. There were other people involved now, people who meant something. People to think about. Though she had never seen Nick as her rebound, she knew that many people thought he was. Maybe on some level she had thought so too. But she had grown to value what they had as much, much more than that. Surely, both she and Nick knew that, even if others might not see things that way.

Sam had seen it. It was a realization that suddenly hit her. What was it again he had said that night, seemingly centuries ago and yet the memory was so fresh? _I can't be here with you anymore. I screwed it up, it is my fault. I screwed it up over and over and over again. Andy I want you to be happy, more than anything in the world, more than anything I could ever want for myself. And you are with him and that means… I've got to go._ He wanted to give her her chance to be happy with Nick. Did Sam think that she wouldn't be happier with him? Did he think that Nick was better for her?

She had never had a chance to give it much thought. The conversation had drifted off to the back of her mind, hiding in the dark memories that existed from that day. Was that what he had meant? Or was that just her mind making assumptions? Was she right?

She looked at Sam's face. His eyes had fallen shut, but his uneven breathing told her he hadn't fallen asleep quite yet. He looked so weak still, broken. All her heart wanted to do was curl up beside him and lay down, never to leave his side again. She wanted those mornings back, the ones they used to share. The little moments they had as they drove to work, the glances he used to give her across the parade room. Though the days they'd spend together on patrol were certainly in their past – after all, he was a detective now – she missed their bond. Though she felt in her heart they could easily go back and fall back into that same pace again, there was something nagging at her. A long forgotten memory as from a bad dream, one he wasn't there to comfort her for.

The time she had met her mother again after all those years. Everything from her childhood had come rushing back throughout that day. But the memory that came to mind in this moment had nothing to do with her mom.

It was dark and they had sat down on the back of Sam's truck. She had asked Sam to make her a promise, the promise that if things were to go south with the two of them he wouldn't just walk out the door. She had asked him to promise her to work at it. Tears sprung to her eyes as she remembered his reply. _You won't get rid of me without a fight._ Yet, she would not describe their break up as much of a fight. It was a broken promise, that's what it was. It might not be completely fair of her to judge it as such, considering the circumstances, but still, it stung. Badly.

But because it hurt, it also made her realize something else: if it hurt, it meant something.

'Andy.' His voice was the first sound in a while. The sound echoed now the medical personnel had left the room. There was something in his voice. Something that should warn her, but she wanted so badly to ignore it. With the utmost difficulty she raised her eyes to meet his. And it was all there.

The memory that had played through her mind only a few moments ago was back again, stronger this time. She could see it in Sam's eyes.

'We're not doing this are we?' she asked as she raised their intertwined hands ever so slightly.

'Things haven't changed, now have they? We're still both cops, we still work together. We can't do both. You and Collins... I know I screwed it up and you deserve better. You do.' Sam turned his face away from her towards the wall.

'Sam, you don't mean this,' Andy said. She was not sure to feel sad or angry. At the moment she was feeling both, which did not vote well for the tears that would undoubtedly start soon. And there it was, ever so soft. Words she had hoped that someday she would hear from him, but certainly not in this context.

'I do.'

It was as if everything stopped once again, like it had done when the machines started making different sounds all of a sudden. It all came crumbling down.

'Sam, you can't mean this. I mean...' But she was not sure what she meant. She wasn't sure of anything, really.

'Sam? Sam!' The voice came from somewhere behind her and it sounded vaguely familiar. She knew she should probably turn around to see who it was, but before she had a chance to she was softly knocked to the side by a dark haired woman.

'Oh my God, Sam! You're alright? When Monica first called I couldn't believe it. I thought I was hallucinating when I first heard it. Alright I might have been as I was sleeping when she called. I came here as soon as I could. Don't you ever scare me like that again!' Sarah had come back to the hospital and was now shuffling her to the side to talk to her brother.

'Sarah, calm down, I'm fine'

Andy looked on as they talked, refusing to look away as slowly she backed out of the room. Once out in the hallway she could barely see where she was going with the tears streaming freely down her face. It wasn't until she felt the breeze on her skin that she realized she had walked outside. She barely noticed the darkness around her, barely saw the people on the street walking past. She could only imagine what they thought had just happened. If only they knew how far off they were.

She stood there for a while, until she felt a set of arms coming up around her.

'Andy, it's ok. Shhh, I'll take you home.'

As Nick led her away towards the parking lot, another round of tears sprung to her eyes as she realized that her thought earlier that night had been right: this really was goodbye.

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><p>Ahhh, I know. But this story is far from finished. I will do my best to update before the season premiere. If you want to, let me know what you thought! I appreciate it<p>

BC


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